Improvement in combined cane and seat



R. W'. SMITH $9 C. J'ACO-BY.

COMBINED CANE AND SEAT.

No,181,802, A Patented Sept.,5,1,876.

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rUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD SMITH AND GYRUS JACOBVY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COM-BiNED CANE AND SEAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [81.802, dated September 5, 1876.; application iiled v March 2, 1876.

- tion of its parts, can be readily converted into a chair, and vice versa. To which end our improvements consist in the combination of a shaft or body, a spring-tripod, a sliding socket, pivoted Varms connected to a exible seat,

and a head or cap, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Various devices in the nature of combined canes and chairs have been heretofore proposed, and made the subject of sundry Letters Patent; but, so far-as we are aware, none have been brought into general use, for the reason, as we believe, that they have failed to provide sufhcient strength unless made inconvenient-ly heavyf and cumbrous.

Our invention is designed to provide a canechair which shall be strong and readily adjustable, while at the same time simple in construction, and suliiciently light to be used conveniently as a walking-cane.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal central section of a cane-chair embodying our improvements: Fig. 2, a view, in perspective, of the same, the parts being shown in the positions they occupy when the article is used as a chair; Fig. 3, a similar view, showing the under side of the seat; and Fig. 4, a sectional view on an enlarged scale, showing the bearings of the ribs o n the shaft and socket.

To carry out our invention, we provide a shaft or body, A, preferably cylindrical, and either solid or tubular, as may be most suit- To the lower end of the shaft is attached a spring-tripod, consisting of three legs, B, pivoted at their upper ends to the shaft A, and, when in the position shown by Fig. l, forming a symmetrical continuation thereof. A spring, b, is secured at its lower end to each of the legs near the bottom, the upper free ends of the springs bearing against the shaft A, which, at its lower end, is reduced in diameter; and is of substantially triangular section. A ring, ferrule, or other suitable catch, b', serves to hold the legs. in contact, and when removed, opened, or pushed upward, the springs b will force out the legs into the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to form a base for the chair. The shaft A is threaded a short distance below its top, to receive a sliding socket, C,w having an internal thread at top and bottom, and a head or cap, C', which may be straight or provided with a crook or elbow at top, screws into the upper end of the socket, and is made symmetrical therewith to complete the cane. A series of ribs, D, are pivoted to the top of the shaft A, so as to fold together within the socket C, as shown in Fig. 1, and a circular or polygonal seat, D', of canvas, cloth, rubber goods, or other iexible material, is secured to the ribs D. The ribs project inward vbeyond their pivots below a circular shoulder or shoulders, a, against which they bear when spread out, and are braced outside their pivots by the upper edge of the socket O when the latter is lowered, each of them thus having an inner and an outer bearing, which relieves its pivot from strain. The pivot thus serves merely to prevent the displacement of the arm, the

weight of the person resting on the seat D being borne by the upper and lower bearings of the socket C and shoulder a, respectively.

To change the form of the article from a 'cane to a chair, the spring-tripod is expanded, the cap C' unscrewed and removed, and the socketC unscrewe'd and slid down until it rests upoi a stop-collar, c, on the shaft. The ribs D are then spread out, carrying with them the seat D', and the upper edge of the socket C forms a circular brace for the ribs out-side of their pivots, which serve merely to prevent their displacement, the weight of the sitter being sustained by the inner and upper bearing of the ribs against the shoulder a, and the outer lower bearing of the saine on the top of the socket C.

We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A combined cane and seat having a shaft or body and a springtripod, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the externally screwthreaded shaft A, having a shoulder, a., the socket G, having an internal screw-thread, the

ribs D, jointed to the shafts A, and bearingy against the shoulder a and the socket C, and a flexible seat, D', substantially as described. 3. The combination, in a cane and seat, as

described, of a shaft, having a bearing, a, and arms D, provided with a flexible seat, and an adjustable collar for inclosi'ng the ribs, substantially as described.

R. W. SMITH. CYRUS .JAGOBY.

Witnesses:

C. H. REINHOLD, GEO. ZiEGENFUss. 

